Despite the long history of jokes, there are many good things that the French have done. French cuisine? Sure, some Italians might have something to say about it, but find a French chef and you will find someone slavishly attached to their craft, someone who won’t stop until they have achieved perfection. French fashion, need we say more? The language when spoken with that right tone of voice…there’s a lot to like. French cars, though? Ehhh….non. Tiny, underpowered, miserable little things that have all the urgency of a sloth on a quaalude that don’t resist rust, but instead invite it as if that’s just the way it works. I live, I rust, I break in half. C’est la vie.

Then Group B happened, and the French decided that for once, ever, they wanted to get into a scrap. Most people remember the Renault R5 Turbo because it kind of looked like that dinky little Le Car that was puttering around town, but it had grown Kardashian-like hips and was hauling ass. And Renault weren’t the only players in the game. Citroën and Peugeot got into it as well. This little gray go-kart is Peugeot’s 205 Turbo 16…200 horsepower, all-wheel-drive, homologation special. The hallmarks of a factory special racer from this era, it’s sketchy, it’s potent, and it’s rarer than a hen’s tooth.

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